441 replies to this topic

[scarynikki12]

We've been given permission to have relationship threads, so I thought I'd get the ball rolling. Our lovely Mod suggested that title, and since titles are something I've never been good at, I went with it. So...yeah, I'll start.

I really love their relationship. I love it because it's pretty healthy for TV teenagers, there's legit chemistry, the writing is good, and there's no inside angst. Any relationship angst is coming from the outside, which is how such conflict should be, IMO. They are lovers and friends and I really appreciate Kevin and Julie for that.

[Bishop92]

I think what I like the most about them is that Stefan has been in love with Elena since 1864, when Katherine presented herself as this idea of Elena that Stefan believed Katherine really was, he has been literally waiting for Elena since before she was born and, no matter how short their time together might be, for Stefan this is the culmination of everything he had been waiting for.

Edited by Bishop92, Oct 1, 2010 @ 8:24 PM.

[minneapple]

I like Stefan/Elena because they really do work on their relationship. I see them as kind of an anchor in Mystic Falls as everything else in the town is completely unstable. They talk about their problems and resolve them together. They grow as a couple AND as individuals; they believe in each other and they believe in their love for each other. Their relationship has had a natural progression and little internal conflict. Maybe they were too teenager-ey with the "I'm epically in loooove with you already" after like a day, but I can forgive them for that now.

[Bishop92]

I honestly believe it makes sense from Stefan's perspective, for him this really is an epic love, but Elena got carried away by his feelings in such way there's no way to tell whether this is also an epic love for her or it's just love that she wanted to be as epic as her partner does see.

I don't think it makes much difference though, they are in love with each other and it has nothing to do with anything other than themselves.

Edited by Bishop92, Oct 1, 2010 @ 8:43 PM.

[redhead2002]

I think it's even clearer since last night's episode that Stefan loved an idea of what Katherine was, and has found it finally now with Elena. I think the two of them have so much chemistry, and I love the romance of it all that he came out of hiding specifically to know her, even if they do cheesily say it in the previouslies every episode. I think there's a lot of intenseness to their scenes and they're one of the first TV couples I can think of that work as partners, respecting each other, and managing not to break up every five episodes. It makes them so easy to root for.

[confuzzled21]

I like Stefan and Elena because for TVD standards (vampire show and all), it's pretty healthy. There is no drama between them because they've pretty much moved past it. I like relationships that show how strong and steadfast they are by how they deal with outside forces that try to break them.

I don't need a relationship to be all about butting heads for it to be exciting. With all the craziness that's going around Mystic Falls, it's nice to know that there's a calm within it thanks to Stefan and Elena. Also, I love how even though they're together, their relationship does not completely dominate the show so there are a lot of things to enjoy about it.

[Bishop92]

I think what I like the most about them is that Stefan has been in love with Elena since 1864, when Katherine presented herself as this idea of Elena that Stefan believed Katherine really was, he has been literally waiting for Elena since before she was born and, no matter how short their time together might be, for Stefan this is the culmination of everything he had been waiting for.

I think it's even clearer since last night's episode that Stefan loved an idea of what Katherine was, and has found it finally now with Elena. I think the two of them have so much chemistry, and I love the romance of it all that he came out of hiding specifically to know her, even if they do cheesily say it in the previouslies every episode. I think there's a lot of intenseness to their scenes and they're one of the first TV couples I can think of that work as partners, respecting each other, and managing not to break up every five episodes. It makes them so easy to root for.

I think the intensity between Stefan & Elena could rival even the one between Katherine & Damon, I can see why it could be dificult to root for two characters that started the show as a couple, as opposed to those who started the show butting heads or getting to know each other before the attraction takes over, but they defy the norm because there are so many obstacles playing against them that, even if they do love each other and even if they want to be together, there's no guarantee that they will.

Edited by Bishop92, Oct 2, 2010 @ 2:41 PM.

[111228]

I appreciate Elena and Stefan for what they are ; Two people who love each other and have grown as individuals and as a couple. They have come a long way in a short time, so much so I can't think of one conflict that they shouldn't be able to overcome. Cheating is one of the biggest deal breakers as far as I am concern and I can safely say that they won't do that do each other.

I think what I like the most about them is that Stefan has been in love with Elena since 1864, when Katherine presented herself as this idea of Elena

I never thought of it that way but it makes perfect sense. He fell in love, at least thought he fell in love, with a Katherine who is very much like present day Elena.

[Bishop92]

I think what I like the most about them is that Stefan has been in love with Elena since 1864, when Katherine presented herself as this idea of Elena that Stefan believed Katherine really was, he has been literally waiting for Elena since before she was born and, no matter how short their time together might be, for Stefan this is the culmination of everything he had been waiting for.

I never thought of it that way but it makes perfect sense. He fell in love, at least thought he fell in love, with a Katherine who is very much like present day Elena.

I think there's something romantic about the notion in itself, which would also explain why a sophisticated 145 year old vampire like Stefan fell hoplessly in love with a teenage girl like Elena: Stefan had been waiting for her all along.

Edited by Bishop92, Oct 2, 2010 @ 8:35 PM.

[confuzzled21]

I wonder why the fact that they started out early as a couple means they're doomed to end. That seems to be the basic formula that people expect from TV shows but why should TVD follow the standards? Isn't the point of a new show to break away from the masses and find a way to be different? I like the twists and turns the show takes and if the expected is for the good girl to be with the reformed bad boy, then who wants that? I want the unexpected. Either Elena stays with Stefan or she chooses neither brother (or the brothers choose to stay brothers and to hell with the women!)

Also, if Elena will eventually be more than willing to date her ex's brother, never mind all the stunts he's pulled, then I see no difference between her and Katherine. Yes, she may not be dating them at the same time, but the fact that she'll be with them both is just too iffy for comfort.

[Bishop92]

I wonder why the fact that they started out early as a couple means they're doomed to end. That seems to be the basic formula that people expect from TV shows but why should TVD follow the standards? Isn't the point of a new show to break away from the masses and find a way to be different? I like the twists and turns the show takes and if the expected is for the good girl to be with the reformed bad boy, then who wants that? I want the unexpected. Either Elena stays with Stefan or she chooses neither brother (or the brothers choose to stay brothers and to hell with the women!)

I don't think they are doomed to end, quite the opposite, but I do recognize the lack of hype due to the fact they started the show as a couple - instead of two characters that slowly become a couple -however, I do believe it works for them.

Edited by Bishop92, Oct 2, 2010 @ 9:50 PM.

[111228]

Leaving Stefan out of the equation, if Elena gets together with Damon, I don't care under what circumstances, then good riddance to her. Before she gets to that point she won't be the Elena she is now, the Elena I have grown to love and respect. She will be a whole other person and I couldn't give two shits about her. Stefan will be better off without her.

I wonder why the fact that they started out early as a couple means they're doomed to end. That seems to be the basic formula that people expect from TV shows but why should TVD follow the standards? Isn't the point of a new show to break away from the masses and find a way to be different?

Agreed and they have already set them apart from most of the couples in the genre. First act was Elena being proactive and actually finding out what he was by her herself. Act two was following through and confronting him right away, three was her running like she was being chased by the devil himself when he confirmed her worst fears,

Everything they have been through have set them apart and I like it.

[TWoP Barnes]

NOTE: Dissent is welcome in all threads at TWoP. A person does not have to be a fan of a character, relationship, or plot line to post. Here are some ground rules.

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This post is going to be pinned to the top of multiple threads. I know that's annoying, but it's less annoying that the typical b.s. that it's trying to stave off.

Edited by TWoP Barnes, Oct 3, 2010 @ 12:33 PM.

[blinky29]

While I love Stefan and Elena together, I have never been able to understand what it is that originally drew them together. I don't know if thats because the epic late night conversation was off screen but it just seemed to be a lot of initial physical attraction in Elena's case and the fact that she didn't have to put up a pretense of everythign is ok for Stefan. I did like that she had a very natural 'get the hella way from me' reaction once she found out he was a vampire and they seemed to have gotten closer because of the vampire storyline and not in spite of it. Stefan was the only vampire Elena felt she could truly trust and she really stood by him throughout the Human Blood arc. I think their relationship has gotten stronger during the course of TVD and they have really built upon their initial trust of each other and that is what I have bought a lot more than the initial relationship. I really see Stefan and Elena as two decent people who try to do good by the people they love forging an almost intuitive alliance. I think this is why there are a lot of comments about the lack of chemistry in the pair. There are no sparks because there is no friction. Just a tacit understanding. Even though I personally think they have plenty chemistry. I do like that Stefan is moving away from the lies that he feels he needs to shield Elena from and Elena's unwavering trust in Stefan and their relationship even in the face of a psycho ex doppelganger gf.

I think the show has always hinted - being a love triangle and all - that Stefan and Elena are not a permanent fixture and I am really curious to see what breaks them apart. I have always thought it wil be something from Stefan's past about how awful a vampire he has been or perhaps it will be Katherine or most likely 'circumstances'. Like maybe Stefan needs to split with Elena and be with Katherine to defeat a giant vampire eating serpent god or something. Or Stefan is 'killed' by said Serpent god and Damon steps in as the consoling older brother to emotionally fragile Elena. She hasn't succumbed to Damon's charms at all yet so it remains to be seen what will drive her away from Stefan into Damon's arms.

[Frelling Tralk]

While I love Stefan and Elena together, I have never been able to understand what it is that originally drew them together.

I wish they hadn't paired them right in the very first episode, and started using words like epic so soon. Even with Stefan and Elena being the main love story of the show and obviously the writers wanting to establish them early on, I think they could have spend at least 4 or 5 episodes on the build-up.

[EpicAmends]

From the episode thread:

Stefan on the other hand was compelled but not to love her. He was compelled to forget what she was. Which is kind of s catch-22. Can you really love someone if you can't accept all of who they are?

This makes me think of Stefan/Elena. One of the main reasons I can never truly believe in their relationship (aside from the writers using words like "epic" pretty much the day after they met) is that Stefan spends so much time and effort trying to hide his dark side from Elena. Does she really know the real Stefan? No. Neither do we, the audience. We know that he had been off the human blood for some amount of time prior to the pilot episode, but we don't know for exactly how long, nor what sort of behavior he exhibited while he was on the human blood. How many lives has he taken? Did he feel remorse for that when he was still drinking human blood, or was his 'switch' turned off (like Damon's was in early S1)? Stefan didn't seem to care much about the girl he brought for Damon to feed on, to turn him into a vampire, nor did he seem to be upset over having fed on and killed his father moments earlier, so I'm inclined to believe he didn't feel a whole lot of remorse when he was on the human blood. Which leads me to question whether it was really his "good, caring" side that helped him decide to go on animal blood, or if something else was the catalyst for it?

My point here, is that if it remains true that someone can't really love someone without truly knowing who they are - dark and twisty parts and all - doesn't the same hold true for Elena and Stefan? Stefan is obsessed with keeping his dark side hidden from Elena ("I don't want you to know that this part of me exists," etc.), so would Elena still love him if she knew all of his dark secrets? Possibly, but unless Stefan starts owning up to his past instead of hiding it, I don't think Elena is being given enough information to be able to accept who Stefan really is.

ETA: Why is this thread part of the "important topics" section and not just the regular "forum topics" section?

Edited by EpicAmends, Oct 3, 2010 @ 8:53 PM.

[blugirlami21]

Hmmm, I'm not completely sure I agree with what you are saying. In the beginning Stefan made a huge effort to hide his true nature from Elena partly because she didn't know what he was and also because he is/was trying to suppress that side of him. Presently, I think we are seeing more of a darker side to Stefan and Stefan hasn't really tried to hide it. An example would be when he threatened Uncle John and told Elena about it after wards. I don't think Stefan would have told Elena any of that last season.

Do we ever really know a person? I don't think Stefan is a choir boy, I think both he and Damon have done things in the past when they were first turned that we as an audience would find dark or horrifying but what separates Stefan from Damon is that he doesn't actively do those things anymore. He doesn't drink human blood, he doesn't snap people's necks in a fit of anger, make people get hit by cars, threaten to kill people if they don't go along with their wishes, etc.

I mean I get what you are saying but I think it's unrealistic to expect Stefan to tell Elena every bad thing he did in the past. On the flip side I wouldn't expect Damon to do so either.

I like that Stefan and Elena's relationship is solid and somewhat based in reality. Not everything is drama city and I think Elena appreciates that about Stefan. She often wishes that they could just relax and be a normal couple sometimes and I like that she knows that Stefan will do his best to give her that.

[111228]

What dark side he does not allow her to see? Like when he feeds on animals? Stefan is not hiding a dark side from her because he doesn't have a dark side. He has and is still diligently working on that aspect of his vampire nature. She did see him when when he fell of the wagon and it wasn't pretty. She loved him through that. She knows Stefan, the person he has become and loves him for what he is.

I think the show has always hinted - being a love triangle and all - that Stefan and Elena are not a permanent fixture and I am really curious to see what breaks them apart. I have always thought it will be something from Stefan's past about how awful a vampire he has been or perhaps it will be Katherine or most likely 'circumstances'. Like maybe Stefan needs to split with Elena and be with Katherine to defeat a giant vampire eating serpent god or something. Or Stefan is 'killed' by said Serpent god and Damon steps in as the consoling older brother to emotionally fragile Elena. She hasn't succumbed to Damon's charms at all yet so it remains to be seen what will drive her away from Stefan into Damon's arms.

I wonder what will break them apart for good too and it kinda worries me. I just hope it is not at the expense of Stefan's character. If Elena breaks up with him over something he did in his past, before he met her and proceed to see Damon well, she shouldn't let the door hit her in the ass.

How many lives has he taken? Did he feel remorse for that when he was still drinking human blood, or was his 'switch' turned off (like Damon's was in early S1)?

We don't know all of these things but I am sure there is some hope that it eventually emerges that he's murdered a little village just to even the grounds between he and Damon.

That said, if it comes out that he murdered people in the past, we know by his actions now that it was something he regrets and have taken pains to make sure he never does that. If Stefan was a murdering psycho it happened years ago and he's had all this time to make up for it.

Edited by 111228, Oct 30, 2010 @ 10:40 PM.

[EpicAmends]

What dark side does not allow her to see? Like when he feeds on animals? Stefan is not hiding a dark side from her because he doesn't have a dark side.

Maybe I wasn't clear enough in my post. I was talking about his dark history. Stefan has been a vampire for nearly 150 years, and we don't know how much of that time he spent on human blood. I am 100% positive he has murdered people. But his past is something that to this day he continues to try his hardest to specifically hide from Elena, which in my opinion makes it seem like he is not being completely honest with her about who he really is as a person.

I think it's unrealistic to expect Stefan to tell Elena every bad thing he did in the past.

I think that's unrealistic as well. My point is, Stefan goes out of his way to hide his past.

That said if it comes out that he murdered people in the past, we know by his actions now that it was something he regrets and have taken pains to make sure he never does that. If Stefan was a murdering psycho it happened years ago and he's had all this time to make up for it.

Taking my first response to the quote to the Damon thread.

I'm not condemning Stefan for what he's done in the past. I'm guessing there's not a single vampire in TVD's world who hasn't murdered someone. I'm just saying that for his relationship with Elena to ring true in my eyes, he needs to be more honest with her about his history instead of always trying to cover it up, lying in order to "protect" her, not letting her know that "this part of [him] exists". She's a big girl. She's shown in the past year that she can handle a hell of a lot of crap being thrown her way. I'm sure she could handle knowing about Stefan's past, but he doesn't even give her the option.

Edited by EpicAmends, Oct 4, 2010 @ 12:27 AM.

[minneapple]

My point is, Stefan goes out of his way to hide his past.

What past? And how does he go out of his way to hide it? Yeah, there are things he hid from Elena, but those are out in the open now. Besides, between having fun with Lexi, hanging out with Bon Jovi, jumping naked into the Trevi fountain -- these things don't jive with being all murderous psycho for the last 150 years. And while Stefan may have done bad things, he's shown remorse for them, and they have nothing to do with who he is now or his relationship with Elena.

[blugirlami21]

I agree with minneapple. I just can't think of a time when Stefan went out of his way to hide his past. I think maybe if you could give an example I would get what you mean. As far as I know whenever Elena has asked a question about the past, Stefan has answered her. And anything Stefan may have tried to keep to himself, Damon has told Elena about. Such as Stefan forcing Damon to become a vampire. Which wasn't his finest moment. But as I said before short of Stefan giving Elena a play by play of every bad thing that he has done in the last one hundred years, there are always things that she won't know.

I don't doubt that Stefan has killed people and I'm sure Elena is aware of this. She has seen him lose control when he was back on human blood and he almost killed that girl. Elena isn't an idiot. She agreed to be with Stefan knowing what he was and accepting the fact that he has a past. That's what makes them ring true for me. Before when Elena was in the dark about what Stefan was, I didn't feel that their relationship was real but when the truth came out and Elena stopped Stefan from leaving, it became real to me. I felt like they were on even footing.

Sometimes I get the sense that people feel that Stefan alone is the one that wanted a relationship with Elena. Elena chose Stefan in spite of the danger or the realities of how long their relationship can logically last.

[Serenachan]

I wish they hadn't paired them right in the very first episode, and started using words like epic so soon. Even with Stefan and Elena being the main love story of the show and obviously the writers wanting to establish them early on, I think they could have spend at least 4 or 5 episodes on the build-up.

I agree. This, more than anything else, made me feel like the writers just wanted to "get it over with" and move on to other storylines they were more interested in. Like they knew they "had to" get them together but they absolutely put no effort into it.

[Lizardbeth J]

I don't doubt that Stefan has killed people and I'm sure Elena is aware of this. She has seen him lose control when he was back on human blood and he almost killed that girl. Elena isn't an idiot. She agreed to be with Stefan knowing what he was and accepting the fact that he has a past.

yes, this. He hasn't given her a laundry list, but he HAS told her he's done horrible things that he regrets fiercely. He regrets them enough that he keeps to the bunny diet, even though every other vampire we know can't do it. Before the Human Blood arc, perhaps she didn't really understand what she was getting into, but after seeing him attack Amber, she knows. She saw his terror that he wasn't going to be able to control himself and would attack her (Elena). She believed he could and she was right -- but his fear also implies that he had rarely ever been able to control himself before and therefore, - at minimum - whenever he fell off the wagon before, he killed people without much restraint.

I'm sure there's some dark revelations to come, including how and why Stefan decided to switch to bunnies. Was it a cumulative effect of killing, feeling bad about it, going cold turkey, falling off the wagon, rinse, repeat, or was there a particularly terrible event that provoked it? But seeing as Elena forgives Damon for attacking her friends (and eventually her own brother I'm sure), I can't see her being unable to deal with finding out that Stefan's killed strangers. Especially when she's seen first hand what happens and how much he fights himself over it. It might be shocking and it might take them some time to talk it out, but the good thing about them, is that I believe they can and will talk it over.

The thing about them that works for me is that Elena's mature for her age. I'm not sure Stefan would've been all that interested in Pre-crash Elena, given what little we know about how she used to behave, and I don't think Pre-crash Elena would have been into him so much either. It's only because she grew up that she can appreciate his complexity and she understands his guilt/moodiness because she's like that, too. She's also tough enough to call him on his crap.

But anyway, I also agree that the writers did an unfortunate disservice to the pairing by glossing over their early meetings so much. It was really only after Elena was so amazing during the addiction storyline and proved that she really did understand what was going on, and they got through it together, that I started to root for them.

[111228]

I agree. This, more than anything else, made me feel like the writers just wanted to "get it over with" and move on to other storylines they were more interested in. Like they knew they "had to" get them together but they absolutely put no effort into it.

I was disappointed in how fast they were slapped together,there was little to no buildup. They were presented as two people who belong together without telling us why but since then the writers have and continue to show us why that is. While their getting together was not convincing, the aftermath has been.

I'm sure there's some dark revelations to come, including how and why Stefan decided to switch to bunnies

I'm curious about this and I'm sure with due time they'll tells us when and why he decided to abstain from human blood. I don't think it goes all the way back to when he chomped on papa Salvator, after he came to, but it is quite possible that he has been struggling with his vampirism from all the way back then.

[charm3d]

I like that Stefan and Elena's relationship is solid and somewhat based in reality. Not everything is drama city and I think Elena appreciates that about Stefan. She often wishes that they could just relax and be a normal couple sometimes and I like that she knows that Stefan will do his best to give her that.

This is what keeps me most interested in the story. The make-up, break-up arcs in many of the other TV shows I've watched just irritate me and I'm glad to see the writers got beyond that and allow the characters to stand solid with one another. It does provide a good example for young people and even though the triangle is probably going to rear its ugly head, at least we've had more than a season of Stefan and Elena supporting one another.

[minneapple]

They were presented as two people who belong together without telling us why but since then the writers have and continue to show us why that is. While their getting together was not convincing, the aftermath has been.

I agree that they got together too fast without any real reasoning behind it. And all the talk about them being "epic" was annoying. But then...if the alternative is the never-ending UST, then I'm OK with them getting together fast -- mostly because they've stayed together and they're just so solid together. Their relationship is more grown-up than most adult relationships on TV.

[adri278]

I've been into Stefan and Elena since the start of the show. I've always been more attracted to the less volatile couples, it seems. I was really impressed by how the show handled Stefan's "falling off the wagon" with the human blood and how Elena stuck by him and helped him instead of being overcome by fear and disgust. I know the way she did it was a bit on the stupid side (getting in his face and telling him she wasn't going to go anywhere), but I found it pretty awesome as well. I was expecting them to break up because of it and I was pleasantly surprised when that didn't happen.

They have great reasons NOT to stay together (Regardless of Stefan's feelings, he's a blood-sucking killing machine who has to struggle and deny his true nature every day), but they obviously have very strong and real feelings of love for each other. I think it would really help if Stefan tried building up his tolerance for human blood by drinking small amounts at a time so that he could live off of hospital blood or whatever and not have the temptation to attack humans, but that would take away a big part of potential conflict in their relationship storyline.

At the end of the day though, if Elena has to have a vampire boyfriend, then Stefan seems like the only one for the job.

[RetconB]

While I love Stefan and Elena together, I have never been able to understand what it is that originally drew them together. ...

I've always thought it was because Stefan really fell in love with this idea of Elena that Katherine sold herself as, he was right he died for nothing, he wrecked the relationship with his brother for nothing, he turned into a vampire for nothing because what he really fell for was something that didn't exist yet: it took 145 years for Stefan to actually meet the woman he fell in love with in 1864 and, even if they only have a few years together before Elena dies, even less if Elena wants to marry and have children, Stefan had to know her.

There has always been this sense of urgency about them because they really don't have much time, Stefan was lucky enough to met her in high school when the average human starts its dating period but, because of what he once did, because of what he is now, Stefan doesn't have much time with her.

Edited by RetconB, Oct 6, 2010 @ 6:41 PM.

[111228]

I think it would really help if Stefan tried building up his tolerance for human blood by drinking small amounts at a time so that he could live off of hospital blood or whatever and not have the temptation to attack humans, but that would take away a big part of potential conflict in their relationship storyline.

He and Elena could make that their pet project. He could sip from her and when she becomes too weak share some of his. They can be generous together. Eventually Elena could gain some supernatural powers from his blood.

There has always been this sense of urgency about them because they really don't have much time, Stefan was lucky enough to met her in high school when the average human starts its dating period but, because of what he once did, because of what he is now, Stefan doesn't have much time with her

Yep. Drinking his blood from time to time could slow down her aging.

At some point I expect them to do something selfish like that.

[scarynikki12]

On my walk today I realized why I prefer Stefan for Elena. I think that Stefan is the better choice for Elena because she is human. If the show makes her a vampire, then the rules change, as she'd be a completely different species. If that happens, I may reevaluate my position, but not until then. As it is, while she's human and in the time she's known both Stefan and Damon, I believe the better choice to easily be Stefan.

For sanity's sake, I'm going to be assuming that a school year has passed in the show's time line, as I really don't want to deal with trying to figure that one out. In this duration, Stefan hasn't killed any humans. He hasn't turned anyone into vampires. He hasn't compelled people and then taken advantage of them. He did feed on, and almost kill, Amber, but while in the throes of a major high and not by choice. Even going back on human blood was not his choice. I'm not blaming Elena, as it absolutely was the right thing for her to do in the situation, and responsibility for handling his addiction and cravings is Stefan's and Stefan's alone. Even so, he very likely wouldn't have fallen off the wagon for those episodes were it not for the situation that caused it. I like that the show has made his addiction clear, because addicts may do some awful things when jonesing for a fix or completely high, but when sober a great number feel incredible horror and remorse at said actions. Stefan is this way.

Stefan's refusal, in the time Elena has known him, to flip the switch to off also makes him the better choice, IMO. He has accepted responsibility, not just for himself, but for his brother. He is the one who has stepped in to try and be an adopted sire to Vicki and now Caroline. He hid his vampirism for a time, but when confronted by Elena he told her the truth and then answered any question she asked. I agree that once the truth was revealed, their relationship was firmly cemented and I love that.

As for Elena, she has seen him at his worst (human blood addiction) and at his most complicated (his love for Damon preventing him from killing him) and supports and loves him through that.

Personally, I'm honestly not interested in what Stefan and Damon were up to before Elena entered their lives. The pre-Elena backstories for each are very likely fascinating and I hope we get to learn them, but for their relationships with Elena, only the time she's known them counts as far as I'm concerned. In that time, Stefan has been the better choice for her, and quite clearly.

YMMV as always.